


A Place to Call Our Own

by Kasino



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Bliss, Exasperated Weiss Schnee, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Good Cinder Fall, Honorary Aunt, Mature Ruby Rose, Meddling Kids, Mercenaries, Summer Vacation, moving in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 23:44:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17949437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasino/pseuds/Kasino
Summary: Ruby and Weiss are just about finished moving into their new home when Cinder and her boyfriend come over to make sure their pick was just right for the two Haven graduates. Just in time for Summer Vacation.





	A Place to Call Our Own

**Author's Note:**

> So I've always wanted to do two things. An adult Ruby and Weiss story and a relationship between Cinder and an original character with links to her past. So I figured what better way to do both of these and introduce this character than with some good old family fluff. Plus Weiss would make the best done-with-this-shit mom.

"Summer! What did I tell you about messing with Myrtenaster!?" Weiss ran over to her youngest daughter and snatched her old weapon from the child's hands. Summer of course just found the situation an amusing opportunity to bolt past her mother and grab her own weapons, the twin sickles Pride and Shame, to feign challenging her to a duel.

"I - Summer Rose the Second - challenge you, Weiss Rose, to a battle to the death!" She definitely had her mom's spirit alright. If only she had her mother's discipline. That attribute, however, had been inherited by the girl's older brother - one who was fortunately happy to help his parents move into their new home - Pyrrhus. The young man - taller now than both of his mothers - finished descending the stairs and scooped up his sister's weapons, placing them just out of her reach atop the kitchen cupboards. "Aww, Pyrr! I was going to get mother back to her fighting roots!"

Pyrrhus rolled his eyes, tipping an imaginary hat to his mother's thanks and picked the young girl up, allowing her - for once - to sit on his shoulders. Summer brightened up almost instantly and her smile served the same purpose it always did for Weiss - reminding her how adorable the hyperactive psycho was.

"No, you weren't Summer, because mother is still helping mom finish moving you all in. You know, that thing you promised you'd help with instead of messing around?" Weiss watched Pyrrhus and Summer's usual routine as the girl pretended she never said anything of the sorts and the boy - no, man, they grow up so fast - made some ridiculous promise that magically rebooted Summer's memory. "Right, tell you what, if you go help mom finish the last basic touches in _your bedroom_ , I'll take you down to the lake later and we can see how much you've improved with those sickles okay?"

"And my semblance!"

Weiss sighed and buried her head in her hands. Yes, it was impressive that Summer had unlocked her semblance at the young age of ten, but when that semblance could make miniature explosions with the bare minimum concentration, it wasn't always the best idea to let one so young go wild with it. Luckily Pyrrhus had the perfect counter to it, so she wasn't _too_ worried about the potential destruction her kids could cause. At least Summer had shown some form of responsibility with her power. Her eldest glanced at her for confirmation, and a jokingly weak thumbs-up cleared it up for him.

"Yeah sure, we can work on your semblance. Now go help mom out, I'm pretty sure she'll be lost in her work again before long." He hoisted the kid down, and for a second, as Summer's fiery red hair passed by the snowy white beard her son had grown, Weiss was reminded of a simpler time when she and her wife still had hair color that matched with their names. It had been a long time since Ruby had kept the tips of her hair dyed red, and only recently Weiss had given her own hair a silvery tint that complimented her nearing the end of her thirties. One more year and she'd be forty. Oh, how she did not miss Yang teasing Qrow about his age back then. "You okay?"

Weiss was pulled out of her self-pity party and smiled at her son. His icy blue eyes tended to give off the same impression both Weiss and Winter used to - that he was cold and unapproachable - but they currently shone with some sort of happiness she couldn't quite place.

"I'm fine dear. But what are you so pleased about?"

"It's just I... It's nice to see all this. I know how hard it's been moving away from Patch." Pyrrhus dropped his gaze and for a moment, Weiss saw her father's anger in his expression. She knew exactly how he felt about their move to Menagerie, but it was all for Summer, and she reminded him exactly of that. "I know. Summer needs this. I just hate that you're going to be so far. I can't exactly make the trip from Atlas to here every few weeks."

"I know. But you're needed at the SDC. With Whitley retiring they're going to need someone to step up, and you can't exactly run a whole company if you're making trips to see your family every week can you?" Pyrrhus laughed and shrugged, taking a sip of coffee he'd left on the kitchen counter from earlier. Cold, but still caffeinated. "I love you Pyrrhus. You know that don't you?"

"Of course I do mother." He gave her a bizarre look before moving over to hug her, leaning down as he stood at almost a foot taller than her. "I love you too?"

They remained that way for what felt like hours until they heard the tell-tale signs of Ruby and Summer running down the stairs.

"... And I told you, aunt Yang won't give you any more weapon modifications for Nondescript Winter Holiday!"

"You can just call it Christmas mom!"

"Hey! Nondescript Winter Holiday is a family tradition that you said you were going to follow."

Weiss rolled her eyes as soon as she got the gist of the conversation and Pyrrhus began to laugh when his mom caught up to his much more agile sister.

"It isn't a tradition though. Grandad told me about you and aunt Yang making it up when you still went to Beacon." Summer's sass was burning bright as Ruby did a double-take, holding her hand to her chest in a theatrical jest.

"How dare he."

"Ruby, are you done upstairs?" Weiss tapped her foot impatiently. She felt like she and Pyrrhus had done the majority of the work and Ruby had just screwed around the whole time. Although honestly that had been their dynamic for around twenty-three years, and Ruby was effective when she applied herself so it could be worse.

"Yep! Summer's room is set up along with the guest room and your art room."

"Good. We'll take the rest of the day off, maybe call Sun and Neptune's Decorative Styles in the morning to - Wait, my what?" Weiss had not heard anything about an art room - and she'd been working on this house for months.

"Well, you've always needed a lot of time to yourself when you paint or practice your performances, so I took that big empty room upstairs, soundproofed the whole thing, set up most of the basic supplies, and I've contacted Mercury at Black Arts Security about getting a specialized locking mechanism for when you're feeling particularly private, so he and Emerald should be here next week to get that installed." Ruby spoke like a tornado - or maybe Weiss just couldn't pay attention because she was so blown away by the fact that all these years later, Ruby was still doing these little things that made Weiss love her all the more.

Summer wasn't very good at reading the room. Pyrrhus was, and when he saw the loving stare between his parents, he recalled his promise to his little sister.

"So Summer, now that you've helped mom out, how about that combat training?" He thought Summer had yelled something in excitement but she was out the door so quickly - without her weapons - that he didn't catch it. He just chuckled, grabbing Pride and Shame and slipping past his mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he headed outside, shutting the door behind him.

"Ruby Rose." Weiss smiled and felt tears welling up despite herself. "You are just the sweetest soul in Remnant aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say that," Ruby smirked, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist and pressing their foreheads together. "I just know what you like, Weiss Rose."

That mischievous whisper made Weiss feel something only Ruby could do to her, and she chuckled as the silver-eyed warrior - now the shorter one of the two by just an inch - pulled her into a kiss that, like always, felt like a supernova. Ruby must have been feeling brave today, because she began to push Weiss backward, leading her to collide with a hardwood desk - she'd pushed them all the way into the study - which she hopped up on without a moment's hesitation. Ruby's hands, that were covered in sawdust, roamed around the former heiress's body, just starting to push her jacket off when they heard a knock at the door, which puzzled them both.

"Were you expecting someone?" Weiss seemed more annoyed than curious, a sight that never failed to make Ruby giggle.

"No. Maybe Blake and Yang came by?"

"Can't be. Blake said she was going to be at the Black Claw summit for hours at least."

Ruby ran over to the door, letting Weiss dust herself off since her desires had stopped her noticing that sawdust now covered her clothes - her fairly expensive clothes at that. Weiss jogged over just as the door swung open and Ruby's scream of delight almost deafened her. After everything she'd been through, this would not be the way she'd like to lose her hearing.

"Cinder!" The Fall Maiden grunted when Ruby basically tackled her into a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"Oh, Gods. Likewise Ruby. Hello Weiss." Cinder smiled over the younger woman's shoulder at the performer, who nodded at her.

"Hello, scar-sister."

"So is this always how you greet each other or has it just been a while?" A man's voice, its deep pitch quite familiar, made the couple walk out onto the porch where they saw a pale man with short hair, black as night, sitting on the steps with a cigar. "Heya Speed-freak. Ice Queen."

"Hey, Hunter." Ruby rolled her eyes at the nickname but separated herself from Cinder, who let out a long breath, and gave the Horseman of Death a quick hug. Weiss, on the other hand, was a little aggravated by her old title that she hadn't heard from anyone but Ruby in over ten years.

"Oh Mr. Dreasden, how I didn't miss you." She gave him her signature ice-cold look for as long as she could, but his million-lien smile and some old memories made Weiss forgive his transgression almost instantly. "How have you been?"

"Good." Hunter got up with a groan - a sign of his age catching up to him - and intertwined his right hand with Cinder's mechanical left, feeling her warmth wash over him as her eyes lit up. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh and dim her eyes down. "War's been taking the lead more recently on missions, and I think she's probably ready to take over the team until I get to reincarnate and be young again."

At the mention of Death's reincarnations, Cinder visibly saddened. She knew that one day, his life would begin anew, without her, but it still hurt every second she was reminded of that fact. Hunter squeezed her hand, and even if she didn't really feel it, she smiled at him again and lifted her arm, placing a kiss on his hand. Death may be eternal, but Hunter Dreasden would forever be hers. The display of affection before them made Ruby and Weiss, almost from muscle memory, move closer together and lock hands like the couple they admired.

"And how are the kids?" Ruby's question made their former enemies light up like a forest set ablaze - they always were more fiery than electric.

"They're doing great. Ocean's girlfriend proposed, so their marriage is going to be somewhere around Spring next year, and Jem passed his entrance exam. He'll be starting as Haven's new History teacher next semester." Hearing Cinder talk about her kids was so strange sometimes. As much as she didn't want to think about it, Ruby couldn't help but remember the days that she and Cinder were at each other's throats, and now the Fall Maiden was one of her closest friends.

"Aunt Cinder!" Of course, she was also an honorary aunt to their kids. Although there were times Summer clearly made Cinder regret accepting, and Ruby and Weiss loved it. Summer came running up from the lake, finally having noticed the woman and her boyfriend on the porch. Pyrrhus was a bit more restrained and strolled along at a leisurely pace, which Cinder was rather thankful for because Summer's hugs were just as violent as her mom's.

"Hey, aunt Cin." Pyrrhus was more like his mother as he hugged his aunt, tugging at his sister's arms to make her release the aging woman. As much as Cinder hated being reminded that she was edging ever closer to her fifties, she was happy to say that she looked good for her age. Most of her friends, Ruby and Weiss among them, agreed that the grey that had begun to creep up at the tips of her hair worked well for her, and the wrinkles that had formed at the corners of her eyes and the very few there were on her forehead were either unnoticeable due to Cinder's fashion sense, or they weren't severe enough to have attention called to. Hunter was another story. Being six years older than Cinder, he was just fortunate that his hair never greyed due to his reincarnation cycle, because otherwise, his age would not be working for him.

"How are you kids doing?" Cinder asked once she was finally free of their embrace. The question was more so directed towards Summer, and Pyrrhus was fully aware of that fact.

"Great! This new house is super cool, and I've been working on my semblance!"

Cinder's eyes widened and Hunter coughed up a cloud of smoke from his cigar, which he quickly stubbed out when he realized he was smoking in front of a kid. He had centuries of experience, he knew that it was better to make sure that Summer didn't see people smoking until she was older.

"Your... Semblance? That's... That's really amazing. Has it been going well?" Cinder squinted at the girl, less because she had difficulty seeing, more since she was aware of the dangerous creature that was Summer Rose the Second.

"Eh... I've done worse." Before Cinder could ask anything else, Summer had clearly wasted enough training time talking to her aunt as she began to yank on her brother's sleeve. "Now c'mon Pyrr! Let's get back to training! I'll see you later aunt Cinder! You too Hunter!"

The four parents watched in disbelief as the ten-year-old dragged the twenty-year-old Pyrrhus away to further suffering.

"That girl is a handful," Hunter noted, pulling out another cigar before he saw the stare Weiss was giving him, and he put it back away. "Reminds me of Ocean when she was young."

"Yeah, she's something alright." Ruby's voice held an admiration all too familiar to Cinder. The younger huntress had definitely grown into her role as a family woman with Summer, as she'd had difficulty raising Pyrrhus due to her young age when Weiss fell pregnant. It was a pleasant sight to see Cinder's former nemesis act as an adult should with a child, even if the Maiden thought that the pair should be more strict in regards to the infinitely crazy Summer Rose. "So, what are you two doing here?"

"Well, Oz let me off for early summer vacation since Oscar wanted to blow off some steam on extra missions, which I sent his way. I made a quick visit to Emerald and Mercury to give them a hand with some serious Grimm threats they'd been facing, then I thought I'd come to see how you were settling in." Cinder gave her boyfriend an endearing little grin. "Hunter tagged along."

"That's awesome. I'm so glad we got to see you so soon. Do you want me to make you both some dinner?"

"Umm, Ruby?" Weiss was hesitant for numerous reasons. For one thing, Ruby had never been a good cook. In truth, she'd improved since she was a kid but she'd still never get past the qualifying rounds in a cooking contest. Another thing was Weiss didn't think they had the required appliances to make a decent dinner. "I'm not sure that dinner's a possibility."

"Oh come on Weiss, you put enough salt on anything it'll taste great."

Weiss rolled her eyes at her wife's immaturity, while Cinder and Hunter both smiled as the Horseman's scroll began to vibrate.

"One sec." He patted Cinder on the shoulder and moved away for a moment, only staying close enough to let the women hear his side of the conversation. "War? What's going on?... What does he want? I thought we told him we wouldn't be doing business with him again... Then you should have told that to Famine, she's always been forgetful and you know it... I mean, the pay is nice but can we trust him again?... Okay. You tell Famine and Pestilence that we'll rendezvous at our base in the Vacuo desert... No, I'll deal with Woolsey before I get to you... Yeah, thanks War."

He hung up and, with a grim expression, placed a hand on Cinder shoulder, looking at his two inviting friends.

"We've got a job. It's for an old friend, and while I don't exactly trust him at the moment, he pays well and his info is generally solid. If he thinks there's a threat in Vacuo, then I believe him. I'm afraid I can't stay." He gave both of his allies a kiss on the cheek and then kissed Cinder with their usual blazing passion. "It's been nice to see you. I'll try and be back before the holiday's over."

"Okay, bye honey. Stay safe."

"Bye, Hunter!" Ruby and Weiss said together as Hunter ran off toward his bike, Despair. The roaring engine even drew the attention of Summer and Pyrrhus, who gave the family friend a quick wave, and he mock-saluted before speeding off on his way to the docks.

Cinder kept her gaze on the path for quite a while, feeling a small agony in her chest. She felt Ruby hug her from behind and Weiss snake an arm around her shoulder. Cinder hated every moment Hunter was away from her without her knowing what he was doing. At the very least, she knew he was still one of the deadliest fighters in Remnant, even in his fifties.

"Hey, how about we go inside and fix you something to eat and drink?"

Cinder turned her head toward Ruby and nodded quietly, making her way inside past the duo. Weiss gave her wife a quick look of concern, but Ruby's smile and Cinder's laugh when she saw an unfortunate family photo of Pyrrhus leaning on Weiss's head and Summer unintentionally choking Ruby as she hung from her neck made her relax a little.

"So Mrs. Rose," Weiss whispered, snuggling up to her from behind. "Are you happy with our new place?"

"Of course I am your Majesty Frost." Ruby used her wife's stage name to elicit a little poke from the singer. "Anywhere's perfect as long as you're here with me."

Weiss and Ruby smiled, as their children played by the lake and their friend explored the simple additions that had currently been made to the house she'd worked so hard to make available for the two heroes. This truly was the perfect home. Ruby giggled.

"I guess technically this is our first proper home together. You know, since dad gave us the house in Patch."

"A place to call our own."

Then the two walked into their home, hand in hand, as Cinder picked up a photo Weiss would have preferred she not find.

"Hey Weiss! I never knew you were so submissive!"

"Hey!"

 


End file.
